Thakurmar Jhuli: Princesses, Monsters and Magical Creatures-Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumdar & Sutapa Basu

Book: Thakurmar Jhuli: Princesses, Monsters and Magical Creatures
Author: Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumdar
Translator: Sutapa Basu
Publisher: Reado Junior

Have you read the folktales in your mother tongue?

Thakurmar Jhuli: Princesses, Monsters and Magical Creatures is a translation of the folktales collected by Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumdar from across Bengal and rendered them into a unique collection of children’s fiction, titled Thakumar Jhuli. Enjoyed by children over the ages, the anthology became synonymous with the cultural heritage of the region. This translation, Princesses, Monsters and Magical Creatures promises to take readers to an enchanting land sprinkled with flying horses, speaking birds, cunning foxes, indestructible monsters, bold princes, and even bolder, beautiful princesses. To sail on a grand peacock boat holding Black Serpent’s diamond with a friendly midget who is only a finger and half tall is exactly the stuff that dreams are made of. So, are you ready to step into this fantastic book and fly to the Moon Lady to watch her magic work on you?

The book has an excellent collection of stories that would enthrall you, and while focused on the younger crowd, it would interest the people across ages. The stories are wonderfully selected and the storytelling is such that it keeps you turning the pages. The stories are engaging and carry interesting messages that double up as a nice learning experience. While I haven’t read the original, the translation seems very close to the original with its auditory support in terms of sound words. The poetry is a wonderful part of each story and the verse adds a wonderful level of amazement to it. From ogres to princesses and from envy to love, the stories encompass a range of emotions and characters, and while some stories might seem to have a common plot, each of them are unique and carry a wonderful message for the reader.

Overall, I would recommend the book to anyone looking for a collection of stories for young readers, one that might sow the seed of reading at an early age. The book scores a 4.75/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon here.